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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25493152">Bring your smile back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melancholy_Danny/pseuds/Melancholy_Danny'>Melancholy_Danny</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Unus Annus - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Love, M/M, Past Abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:28:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25493152</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melancholy_Danny/pseuds/Melancholy_Danny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark and Ethan are getting closer due to filming together. Ethan is in a toxic and abusive relationship, and sweet things turn bitter as the relationship gets really bad. Mark confronts Ethan about it, but the other brushes it off. Until eventually One day, Ethan turns up on Mark's doorstep crying. He takes the other in warmly, and now its up to Mark to help Ethan remember how to smile, and that no one will hurt them again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mark Fischbach/Amy Nelson, Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor, Mika Midgett/Ethan Nestor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bring your smile back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ethan stood outside of the door, debating what he was about to do. He was never nervous around his best friend, but today he was.</p><p> </p><p>See, Ethan wasn't in a good relationship. It started out good, great even. But that changed. His lover, Mika, had become abusive slowly. It started with controlling Ethan. Giving him a curfew, reading his messages, getting jealous when he was out. Then came the accusing. Anytime he saw Mark or any friends, he was accused of cheating or not loving and respecting him. Whether the friends were male or female. </p><p> </p><p>The abuse came last. Two months ago was when he was hit the first time. He had gotten back past curfew and earned a slap to the face. Mika apologized, blamed it on alcohol and emotions, and Ethan forgave her.</p><p> </p><p>Now, he was outside Mark's house. His face was bruised, and his lip and nose were both bleeding. He looked even worse underneath his clothing. It hurt to stand, and the cold weather of the night didn't make it any easier on him.</p><p> </p><p>He felt ashamed. Mark had come to him months ago about Mika because he noticed how Ethan's personality changed, and he brushed it off. He felt dumb and weak, and maybe he was. But the bruises on his neck from being choked tonight crossed the line, and he was at the only place he knew he could go.</p><p> </p><p>He hesitantly raised his hand, knocking on the door. It was late, and he felt bad for coming. Especially since Mark and Amy had recently broken up, so he felt like his friend needed space. </p><p> </p><p>Mark, like a lot of people were at this time. Then again he had a habit of falling asleep early. Recording was tiring, and his Dog Chica were two things that made a tired him. Face buried in his pillow as he snored, he was startled awake by barking. He groaned and sat up. Made a mental note to teach her how to be quiet when he was sleeping as he rolled out of bed. "Chica! " He groaned yet again when she barked louder, scratching at the bedroom door.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you need to use it? I'm not taking you for a walk, its too dark out girl" and watched the dog race to the front door, sitting back and howling. "Wait, Chica, no!" He did not need another noise complaint from his annoying neighbors. He looked through the peephole to make sure it wasn't a robber or something, and opened it. "Hel- Ethan?!" He almost yelled.</p><p> </p><p>First off, he was bleeding and what was he doing here so late? The bruises on his friend's body were visible. Chica stopped howling once the door opened, tail wagging. </p><p> </p><p>"Come in" He muttered, pulling the other lightly in and shutting the door, He pointed at Chica. "Hush or I'll never let you sleep in my room again. You'll be confined to downstairs missy" The threat worked, and Mark walked the other upstairs and into his bathroom. His marks were so much easier to see in the light, and it worried Mark. "What happened?" He asked in concern,though he had a hunch already. He Just hoped he wasn't right.</p><p> </p><p>Ethan had let himself be pulled in, sniffling at the pain. It hurt pretty bad. He followed Mark and sat down on the male's bed, not wanting to fall over.</p><p> </p><p>"Mika.. She.. " he looked down and sighed shakily. "I was texting my old friend from back home.. Because she wanted me to come back to visit. Mika wasn't okay with that because she made me stop visiting so often to spend more time with her... And she.. She got mad.. " he held back tears, not wanting to breakdown.</p><p> </p><p>"She hit me.. Dragged me by my hair and pinned me against the wall. She called me a whore, told me if I went back to Maine I'd be fucking my friends and she'd be alone. She then told me I'm the reason she's so jealous and depressed.. And.. I tried to yell and tell her to get off.. She.. " he let out a quiet sob, pulling his shirt down to show the hand shaped marks on his neck.</p><p> </p><p>"She grabbed my neck and squeezed.. So hard. I tried to kick and I couldn't. My vision started going black.. I thought I was gonna die. I was so scared.. " the memory scared him. He had thought he'd die tonight, and realized just how bad of a situation he was in. "She eventually let go and kicked my stomach, leaving me on the ground. I pretended to be unconscious until she left. And then just ran, ran as fast as I could. I don't wanna go back, Mark, I can't!" He looked up at his friend sadly, his hands shaking.</p><p> </p><p>"And she's done other things.. I should've listened to you. I was so fucking stupid, and now look at me. I can't even stand up long or I'll fall over. My body hurts, my head is pounding. I'm still dizzy" he felt ashamed. Men being abused by female Partners wasn't as uncommon as it was a few years ago as people start speaking up. But there was still such a stigma around it where people would just assume that the men were weak. He hated it, because it made him believe maybe he was weak for letting this happen. </p><p> </p><p>Mark frowned. Well, it was way worse then he had thought huh? He had never really liked Mika, though had blamed it on jealously. There had always been something...weird about Mika and he was glad he had pinpointed it. If only he had pressed further but he hadn't wanted to upset Ethan. Though he'd rather have a upset friend then someone bruised.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, its ok" He said softly. " You can stay with me ok? Don't worry, she won't hurt you anymore"  He promised. "Stay here, I'll get you some ice" He wasn't a doctor or anything, but ice helped bruises right? And, oh, painkillers. He returned with some ice packs and a bottle of medicine, and a cup of water. "Here, take some painkillers " He handed both to him, and after he took it, gingerly put the ice packs on the bruises. "I'm not sure what else to do. We can go to the doctor tomorrow if you want if it still hurts. Until then you can take the guest bedroom ok?"</p><p> </p><p>The painkillers would help with the pain, and the bruises would be numbed with the ice packs. He didn't really have anything else to help with, I mean basic first aid was all he knew. But it was good enough for now. "Or you can stay in my bed since you can't stand too long" Mentally he was proud of himself for not losing his cool. He wanted nothing more than to get angry. He had always been a calm and collected kinda person, and that was coming play. Or else he'd have panicked because this was really bad. But he had to stay calm for Ethan's sake, panic causes panic. "Does it feel a little bit better ?" He asked after a moment, reaching down to pull Chica away from the bed. The dog would probably try and jump on, and probably try to climb on Ethan, which wouldn't be good.</p><p> </p><p>Ethan took the pills and nodded. "Thank you for letting me stay, really you don't have to do that especially after I didn't listen to your warning... " he said. "And no don't worry about it, I'll take the guest bedroom" he tried to stand and let out a pained whine, falling back on the bed. He bit his lip. This would be hard, wouldn't it? </p><p> </p><p>"On second thought... Do you think you could possibly carry me to the guest bedroom?" He asked shyly. "If not it's fine we could uh.. Share your bed, if you want. But if you could carry me.. I'll be out of your hair.. " he frowned. He felt really gross, covered in blood and sweat. So this next question made him sad to ask, because he really didn't wanna bother Mark.</p><p> </p><p>"I really need to.. Bathe, somehow" he said. "And.. It's hard to stand. I hate asking because it's so late but, can you run me a bath? You don't have to bathe me, obviously, but you could help me in and out.. I know it's awkward, but I feel so gross. I could cover up with a towel. Or you could close your eyes. And I may need to borrow some clothes.. Wow" he chuckled. "Mika was right, I'm a lot of work, aren't I? Here I am.. Morning.. I woke you up crying and made you feel with my emotions and now I'm asking you to help me get in the bath and let me borrow some clothes.. Maybe I shouldn't have come.. "</p><p> </p><p>Ethan with the type of person that hated asking for help, especially when he felt like he was hurting others by doing so. He would honestly rather crawl on his hands and knees and pain to get in the bath then ask Mark to help him with it. Being with someone who called him a burden and a problem so long made him feel like that was actually true. He was never this emotional before.</p><p> </p><p>Mark nodded. Right. Of course he'd need a bath or something, there was quite a bit of blood on his clothes. He gave a small nod, heading to his closest. He'd need clothes of course, and he had more then enough to lend to Ethan. One of his shirts would be fine, and a pair of shorts should be fine. As he was rummaging around he heard the rest of his works. Exhaling, he turned back around with the clothes in his hands.</p><p> </p><p>You're not a lot of work" He said. "Mika was wrong. You needed help and nothings wrong with reaching out to get help. It was a good thing you came here. You're my friend and you matter a lot to me, so you can just disregard everything Mika ever said to you" He said sternly and headed into the bathroom to set the clothes down,as well as a towel and washcloth. After turning on the water and checking the temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot or too cold, he returned to the bedroom and picked Ethan up after moving the ice pack off of him.</p><p> </p><p>"You can uh, take off your clothes right? I mean I can help you with that too if you need it.." He trailed off, forcing himself to not get embarrassed. Seeing Ethan naked? I mean, he was sure it was embarrassing for him too. 'Just calm down. It's not weird or anything. People see people naked all the time' he thought, though that made him more flustered then relieved. Thankfully he was only having a mental breakdown inside and wasn't showing his thoughts outside. Good job him. </p><p> </p><p>Ethan nodded. "Yeah of course.. But uh.. I may need you to put me in the bath, so you'll have to stay there while I strip.. But you can look away! I'm sorry.. " he let himself be carried and then got out of his friend's arms, holding onto the counter. "Uh.. Just.. Look away.. " he turned away from his friend and stripped-down. He took off the bloody shirt and laid it down before doing the same with his jeans and his socks and shoes. He finally shyly slipped his boxers off before standing straight. "Actually.. I may have it, just make sure I don't fall" he said.</p><p> </p><p>He slowly and painfully walked to the tub, getting into it and sitting down. He let out a groan at how the hot water felt against his sore muscles. "Thanks.. You can, uh.. Go now.. " he said awkwardly. Mark glanced over and nodded, walking out to give Ethan Privacy. He then got to work.</p><p> </p><p>He grabbed some soap and washed himself down, making sure to wash the cuts on him Mika had left. He didn't really care for baths when it came to washing up, rather preferring them for when he needed to relax. But he didn't have a choice.</p><p> </p><p>He washed his hair and took a few moments to watch his body. He felt and looked gross. He eventually got out and dried off, standing on shaky legs. He would've asked Mark for help, but didn't wanna force the male to see him naked. So he dried off and got dressed while holding onto the counter so he wouldn't fall over. "Mark.. " he called out. "Im done." It felt weirdly relaxing to wear his friend's clothes. Was that weird? He'd worn Mark's clothes before, and it'd always given him a comforting feeling. Maybe because he looked up to and admired the male. </p><p> </p><p>Mark spent the time Ethan was washing petting Chica. Chica fell asleep, and he put her in her dog bed, scratching her behind the ear. Hearing the other call for him he stood up. "Alright, I'm comin in" He said before walking into the bathroom. </p><p> </p><p>He gave a sigh of relief, seeing him dressed already and scooped him up. "Ok" He hummed,walking to the guest bedroom and setting him down on the bed. "My door's open if you need me. So just call ok?" He walked to the door, pausing to glance over his shoulder. "Before I go, is there anything else you need?" He took the time to examine Ethan. The male was bruised badly, and the sight made Mark's heart drop. But now he could keep Ethan safe, whatever it took. Maybe having him around would make filming easier for them both. </p><p> </p><p>Once in the bed, Ethan got under the covers. "No I'm fine.. Thank you, Mark, it means a lot.. " Ethan was sure he'd probably be able to walk tomorrow. With the medicine and the hot bath. It would probably still hurt though, but he didn't wanna force the male to carry him. He smiled and gave Mark a gentle smile before turning over in the bed.</p><p> </p><p>It had been a while since he slept without fear. He was always afraid of what he'd wake up to, or afraid Mika would hurt him in his sleep. But now he felt at peace. He closed his eyes and was soon drifting off to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>Mark just watched for a moment, admiring him. He fell asleep so quick, which let Mark know how tired his friend truly was, probably exhausted from pain and crying. He gripped the door handle. He wasn't going to let anything hurt Ethan, ever again. As long as he could. He turned the lights off and gave him one last glance before shutting the door.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you guys enjoy! I plan to be consistent updating this!<br/>While you're here, feel free to check out my YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk8VJR1FtWdWkjYXPfEpYyw</p><p>I've posted a few unus annus edits, as well as crankiplier, and some other stuff!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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